Chapter 204

Chapter 204
Chapter 204: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Ultimately, Barg had no choice but to confess everything in his own words. He had struck a deal with Jack, granting him authorization for continuous, unrestricted combat training throughout Jack’s visit.

Jack stood quietly beside him, offering a slight shrug of his shoulders. The gesture made it entirely obvious that there was zero room for debate or dispute.

“Sigh…”

When Lion exhaled a heavy, exhausted breath, Barg’s morale plummeted straight to the floor. He knew beyond a doubt that he had crossed a line. In a sense, hadn’t he completely undermined the Young Master’s carefully laid plans? To make matters worse, it appeared the others had rushed back prematurely after being tied up with demanding tasks inside the labyrinth.

‘He is bound to be furious.’

For once, Barg’s intuition was spot on. Lion was indeed angry.

“Barg.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Do you have any grasp of how dangerous a binding contract can be?”

“…What?”

Contrary to what Barg had feared, the reprimand wasn’t about the trouble he had caused.

“Answer me.”

“Ah, no…”

“If the terms of an agreement are drafted carelessly, catastrophic consequences can follow. A proper contract is a serious matter, something even a seasoned veteran weighs for days before signing.”

“I… I am truly sorry…”

“It is fortunate that the counterpart happened to be Lord Jade. Regardless, such recklessness must never happen again.”

“Yes… I am sorry. I will be much more careful.”

“Go back and spend some time reflecting on your actions.”

The words carried an edge far sharper than Lion’s usual demeanor, yet they were anchored in such undeniable logic that Barg had no room for a comeback. Besides, wasn’t Lion ultimately concerned for his safety, regardless of the context?

Understanding this reality, Barg kept his head bowed in silence and backed out of the room.

Click.

The door clicked shut, sealing them inside.

“…”

A heavy silence settled over the room for a moment.

The one to shatter that quiet was—

“Well, well…”

“I am sorry! Is your face alright?”

Both spoke almost simultaneously, but Lion’s urgency carried far more force. Raising his voice in apology, Lion reached out to cup Jack’s face, his fingers gently inspecting the lingering injuries. His grip proved a fraction too firm, pressing against Jack’s skin and causing a fresh trickle of blood from the reopened cut.

“Oh goodness, to think such a handsome face bears a wound like this!”

Without hesitation, Lion pulled a vial of healing potion from his pocket, moistened a clean handkerchief, and began dabbing delicately at the abrasion on Jack’s cheek.

Then.

“…”

Before Jack could even register the movement, the injury vanished entirely without a trace. Not even the faintest shadow of a scar remained. Seeking to verify the miracle, Lion rubbed his thumb firmly across the cheek once more and even pulled out a small hand mirror for Jack to inspect the result himself.

“Barg is a blood relative of the Asteri Family, so I took full responsibility for his recklessness. I intend to give him another thorough scolding later on.”

“…”

The wound was completely healed, an apology had been delivered, and an assurance was made that the culprit would face further discipline. Left with no ammunition, Jack—who had originally planned to make a grand scene out of his injuries—had no choice but to snap his mouth shut. He had never anticipated the situation smoothing itself out quite this efficiently.

Furthermore…

‘He is deliberately steering clear of the details concerning what I demanded in return.’

Just as he had done when reprimanding Barg, Lion Asteri had refrained from asking what compensation Jack had extracted for the endless sparring sessions. Moreover, he had effectively blocked Jack from volunteering that information himself.

“And let me offer my thanks.”

“Thanks?”

Caught off guard by the expression of gratitude, Jack’s brows twitched in the reflection of the mirror.

“Indeed. You could have demanded far more from Barg than you did, yet you chose restraint.”

“Perhaps I already took more than enough.”

“If that were true, you would have already packed your bags and left the estate.”

Jack let out a quiet breath. The assessment was entirely accurate.

Though he had spent several days in Barg’s company, the core concept of “anxiety” remained largely foreign to him. That was hardly surprising, given how brief the timeframe was to decode an emotional state he had never experienced firsthand throughout his entire existence—even with Barg’s unwitting assistance.

‘The only silver lining is that I managed to secure a private audience with Lion Asteri.’

Even so, that encounter had quickly fallen under Lion’s orchestration. The injury was mended, apologies were accepted, and pressing the issue further would only sour their standing.

“…”

Seeing Jack uncharacteristically quiet, Lion let out a quiet, inward chuckle.

‘Shall I let him off easy?’

The thought only crossed his mind because Barg had emerged from the ordeal without permanent damage. Naturally, the underworld’s supreme authority outmatched Barg in pure combat prowess. Consequently, no matter how many rounds they fought, Barg’s odds of claiming victory were virtually nonexistent. To call it a sparring match was a misnomer; it had been a training session from the very beginning.

Barg had Knight Captain Rikson at his disposal, but—

‘It remains a different kind of experience.’

Of course, the instruction itself was invaluable. Barg was destined to integrate into normal society moving forward, and Rikson’s traditional regimen likely extended beyond mere swordplay. With Barg’s Eclipse symptoms temporarily quieted—

‘He must have been lacking in certain areas.’

And Jack had inadvertently stepped in to bridge that gap. Jack was certainly smart enough to realize that Barg’s request was less about athletic competition and more about mentorship. Yet, despite the headache it caused, he had quietly accommodated the troublesome demand.

‘Well, I suppose this passes as acceptable.’

It was proof that considerable effort had been invested. Recognizing this, Lion decided it was time to concede ground. He had no desire to foster permanent hostility.

“By the way, you handled the child well.”

“It was hardly a difficult task.”

Jack’s response was brisk and detached. In truth, entertaining a strong, energetic youth required little effort. It amounted to little more than letting the boy burn off energy through physical tumbling. There had been no hidden complications. Above all, whereas watching over Kyle demanded constant vigilance due to the latent threat of the curse, Barg required no such safeguarding simply because he was resilient.

“Did you occupy the Second Prince in a similar fashion when he was small?”

“Much the same.”

“I find myself envious.”

“…Envious?”

“Indeed. I never had the luxury of such carefree days.”

As you are likely aware, my constitution was frail from the start.

Jack fell silent, his thoughts drifting at the tail end of Lion’s confession.

“Because of that, I carry a lingering regret that I could not play the part of an older brother during our childhood years.”

“…”

Jack struggled to pinpoint Lion’s underlying motive. Why introduce such a deeply personal confession out of nowhere? Lion Asteri was cut from the same cloth as Jack—a man fiercely protective of his own isolated world. Believing this to be true, Jack found himself baffled… until now.

“So, upon my recovery, the two of us sat down and spoke at length. He confessed his sorrow over failing to support me as a sibling back when we were young, noting how I must have shouldered even the smallest worries entirely on my own.”

“…Ah.”

Comprehension finally dawned on Jack. Lion Asteri was using his own history as a subtle vehicle to deliver a lesson—revealing the true identity of the anxiety that had been plaguing Jack. It was rooted in a quiet guilt over feeling powerless, coupled with the terror that such helplessness might render him useless to Kyle. The older man was spelling it out for him.

“…And what was the outcome?”

“He simply told me that my continued health and survival were more than enough.”

“…!”

“Well, I have never been in the position of a younger sibling, but are matters of the heart not universal? When you care for someone, you wish only for their safety and well-being because they are family.”

Perhaps these were truths that only Lion—who held a clear grasp of both Kyle and Jack’s true circumstances—could articulate. No one else in the realm understood the actual bond linking Kyle and Jack. To the rest of the world, Jack was viewed as nothing more than a hired protector, a relationship kept strictly professional by design.

Jack had deliberately fostered that illusion, likely driven by the fear that Kyle—whom he viewed with brotherly affection—might be compromised. As the designated heir to the Empire, any association with the underworld could prove disastrous.

Yet here stood a man telling him that those fears were unfounded.

“…That is an intriguing perspective.”

“Is it not? Direct communication remains the most effective path forward. Haha.”

The very person who had created the dilemma had now supplied the solution. It was Jack’s total defeat. The lingering unease that had weighed on his mind was effectively dismantled.

“I ought to be taking my leave.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. There are matters requiring my immediate attention.”

Jack rose from his seat, slipping his outer cloak over his shoulders.

“Thanks to your hospitality, I have gained a thorough appreciation of the Asteri domain.”

“I am glad to hear it.”

“So much so that a return visit crosses my mind.”

“…”

Now, that was a prospect to ponder.

‘If he chooses to return, I can only hope the venom in his system has settled somewhat by then.’

Even with their current accord, the man was prone to lashing out like a cornered beast at a moment’s notice. That was simply his nature.

“Well, failing that, perhaps Lord Lion might grace my domain with a visit next time.”

A faint, knowing smile touched Jack’s lips as he responded, reaching into his coat to retrieve a small silver token, which he set upon the table.

“This is…”

“In the underworld, there is no more definitive proof of identity.”

The token served as a personal guarantee from the supreme ruler of the shadow realm.

“I appreciate it.”

Slipping the silver piece into his pocket—while privately hoping circumstances would never require its use—Lion offered a final nod.

“There is no need to show me out. I am, after all, merely a Merchant Guild Leader.”

“Is that your final word?”

The statement signaled his return to the persona of Merchant Guild Leader Jade. With a parting, amicable smile, Jade turned and exited the chamber.

Click.

Stepping into the corridor, his gaze landed on Barg, who was still lingering nearby in a state of visible dejection.

“…”

Under normal circumstances, Jade would have walked past without a second glance. Their transaction was concluded, and Barg’s usefulness had expired. Besides, why invite trouble by voicing opinions that served no purpose?

“Hmm.”

Ultimately, whatever he was about to say constituted a purely frivolous luxury, an idle waste of time born of sudden caprice.

“Thanks to you, I enjoyed several engaging discussions with Lord Lion.”

“Yes…?”

Barg flinched visibly at the remark. If Jack had enjoyed himself, it boded poorly for the Young Master.

‘I must have messed up!’

Barg’s posture slumped further, looking entirely ready to fold in on himself.

“If you happen to face a severe reprimand, pass this message along: ‘I was defeated purely due to the efforts of Mr. Barg.'”

“Eh?”

Barg blinked, completely lost as to how the conversation had taken such an absurd turn.

“Ah, and one final observation from our training: you deliberately avoided targeting the neck. Haha, if you pull your punches like that, you will never manage to protect what matters most. Farewell.”

Leaving those parting words hanging in the air, Jade strode directly toward his guest quarters. He intended to finalize his preparations and depart immediately, returning to the realm he called home.

And then—

“Since I have already indulged myself this far.”

“I might as well make the most of it.”

“Brick.”

“At your service.”

Brick, stationed patiently inside the room, stepped forward instantly to hand over the communication crystal.

A faint smile gracing his features, Jade activated the device to reach out to his sole remaining family member—currently waging a stubborn battle within the Imperial Palace—fully intending to demand some pampering.